Postdoc @ Northwestern U - Neuropeptide, circuit, and motivated behavior

The Li laboratory (https://www.haolilab.org/) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is looking for creative and motivated postdoctoral fellows. We seek to understand how neuropeptides modulate circuit activity shaping behavior, and how these modulatory signals become maladaptive following stress exposure or the use of substances of abuse.

Basic neuroscience research has elucidated neuropeptidergic pathways involved in stress-related disorders and substance use disorders, contributing to circuit-specific therapies. However, now that a number of studies have demonstrated the co-release of long-lasting neuropeptides and fast-acting neurotransmitters (GABA or glutamate), we need to consider next-generation methodologies for circuit targeting with greater precision and granularity toward signal-specific dissections. To isolate neuropeptidergic functions in animal models of stress and substance use disorders, the Li lab combines circuit dissection tools and large-scale neural recordings (Neuropixels; Cellular calcium imaging) with viral-mediated CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing and optical recordings of neuropeptide-sensors (https://www.haolilab.org/research).

The candidate will lead research projects focused on how neuropeptidergic signals interact with neural circuits and regulate emotion and motivated behavior. In addition to designing and performing circuit dissection and behavior experiments, the candidate will be expected to explore and analyze large-scale neural data using machine learning methods and will have the opportunity to collaborate with computational and theoretical researchers at Northwestern University. Interested individuals should visit https://www.haolilab.org/join-us.

Salary is commensurate with the NIH and Northwestern University guidelines for Postdoctoral researchers. A relocation reimbursement or a signing bonus will be offered to competitive candidates.

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